Why Is This Hard?
The challenge? Most brands panic and jump on generic “Let’s go team!” content that gets lost in the noise. Or worse, they force a connection that feels inauthentic to their audience.
The brands that win during the World Cup aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest sports connection—they’re the ones that understand their audience deeply and find creative, genuine ways to tap into the excitement without losing their brand voice.
Step 1: Write Your Core Vision and Identify Main Keywords
Ask yourself: What keywords resonate most with your current consumers?
Let me bring Haribo here as an example:
- Tagline: “No. 1 in fruit gummies worldwide”
- Mission: To inspire “childlike happiness” in people worldwide through its treats while operating as a responsible family-owned company with a focus on high quality and sustainability
Categorize Your Product
If you’re selling gummies, the main category can fall into “sweet” or “refresher.”
Step 2: Find Ongoing Trends and Connect Them to the World Cup
Ask yourself: What trends are growing nowadays?
List them out and see which one sparks the most potential.
For example, if you’re selling peanut butter and there’s a “Zero” or “Healthy Pleasure” trend happening (like in Korea), this could be a potential way to tie your idea into the campaign.
You could take the easy route and use iconic World Cup moments in your content. But if you’re someone like me who needs a structured way to build a campaign before the actual event period, this approach will help—especially if you’re worried about ruining your brand reputation with overly creative content that either misses the mark or worse, gets no response at all.
It’s always better to logically think through how to promote your campaign with a clear strategy.
What Worked Before: Learning from the Unexpected Winners
Remember when brands with zero connection to sports absolutely killed it during past World Cups and Super Bowls?
Take Snickers during the 2010 World Cup with their “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign featuring frustrated fans. They weren’t a sports brand—they were a snack brand tapping into the universal emotion of game-day tension.
Or look at Oreo’s “Dunk in the Dark” tweet during the 2013 Super Bowl blackout. Quick, clever, and completely on-brand despite having nothing to do with football.
The lesson? It’s not about sports. It’s about the emotions and moments around the event that your audience already experiences.
Step 3: Brainstorm the Right Way
Now that you’ve got your keywords, let’s brainstorm. Here are several effective ways to do it:
- Look at past World Cup or Super Bowl marketing data
- Check what your competitors are doing
- Review ongoing marketing trends in your industry
- Brainstorm with ChatGPT or other AI tools
Step 4: Collect, Listen, and Refine
- Collect the most relevant and resonant creatives and save them in your drive. Write down what resources you can use for your campaign.
- Start social listening to come up with ideas for the final campaign.
- Give your brain 1-2 weeks, then revisit and brainstorm the campaign idea again.
Step 5: Create the Actual Campaign Draft
- Create the actual draft of your campaign with a visual board. Decide what emotion you want to give to your audience.
Ask yourself: What do your customers experience when they use/eat/try your product? And what do you want them to feel after they try it?
Examples:
- “I’m bored and I’ve got this Haribo, so I eat it.”
- “I feel exhausted after the workout and I’m hungry, but I have nothing to eat except peanut butter.”
- “I was frustrated because I couldn’t find a fun language app that I could use every day, but then I met Duolingo…” (That’s why they focus on “crazy fun” in their marketing, isn’t it?)
Choose Your Emotion Strategically
The emotion you choose will shape everything—your visuals, your copy, your influencer brief, everything.
There are many emotions that work well during major sporting events—joy, unity, FOMO, nostalgia, intensity, and more. Here’s one approach that’s proven to work across different brand types:
Humor & Entertainment
Perfect for brands that want to stand out with lighthearted, shareable content.
- Real Example: Snickers’ “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign during World Cup 2010 used humor to show frustrated fans turning into divas, making the brand memorable through comedy rather than traditional sports marketing.
- Real Example: Liquid Death‘s “Safe For Work” Super Bowl 2025 ad used outrageous humor to cut through the noise, proving that being memorably funny can win even when you have zero connection to sports.
Pick one primary emotion and let it guide every creative decision.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Before you finalize anything, watch out for these mistakes I’ve seen brands make:
1. Ignoring Your Brand Voice for “Trendy” Content
Don’t abandon what makes your brand special just to jump on a trend. Your existing community follows you for a reason. If you’re a minimalist, elegant brand, don’t suddenly start posting loud, chaotic memes just because “that’s what’s trending.” Find the World Cup angle that fits YOUR voice.
2. Starting Too Late to Secure Good Influencers
This is huge. The best creators get booked 6-8 months in advance for major events. If you’re starting in April 2026, you’re already late. The top-tier influencers who actually align with your brand values and have authentic engagement will already be committed to other campaigns.
3. No Clear Metrics for Success
“Engagement” isn’t enough. Define what success looks like: New followers? Sales? Brand awareness in a specific demographic? UGC content? Sentiment shift? Be specific. You need to know if this massive effort actually moved the needle for your business.
4. One-and-Done Content
The World Cup isn’t a single day—it’s a month-long tournament. Plan a content arc, not just a one-off post. Think: pre-tournament hype, group stage content, knockout drama, and post-tournament wrap-up. Your audience will be engaged throughout, so should you.
When to Start What: Our Recommended Minimum Timeline
Here’s the minimum timeline we recommend if you want this campaign to actually deliver results:
World Cup Campaign Roadmap
- H2 2025: Kickoff & Strategy
- Finalize your campaign concept and creative direction
- Secure influencer partnerships and lock in your roster
- Set up tracking systems and define success metrics
- January – March 2026: Content Production
- Produce your core campaign assets
- Create backup and reactive content frameworks
- Brief all partners and team members on execution
- March – June 2026: Pre-Match Buzz
- Launch teasers and social countdowns
- Roll out influencer preview content
- Warm up your community with related engagement
- June – July 2026: Game On
- Execute main campaign during the tournament
- Share live match highlights and fan challenges
- Activate influencer takeovers and real-time content
- Late July 2026: Wrap-Up
- Create UGC recap and highlight reels
- Announce campaign winners or MVPs
- Maintain post-event engagement and document learnings
The bottom line: To secure the right influencers and execute effectively, you need to start planning by at least H2 2025. The earlier you start, the better your options and outcomes.
Why Start Now?
Here’s the truth: if you’re reading this and thinking “I’ll start planning in a few months,” you’re already behind.
The best creators and influencers get booked 6-8 months in advance for major events like the World Cup. By the time March 2026 rolls around, the top-tier talents who actually align with your brand will already be committed to other campaigns.
Plus, good creative takes time. You need time to:
- Test concepts with your audience
- Produce quality content (not rushed, last-minute posts)
- Build anticipation with your community
- Secure necessary approvals and legal clearances
- Create backup plans for different scenarios
Starting early also means you can be strategic instead of reactive. You get to choose your timing, your talent, your approach—instead of settling for whatever’s available.
At the End of the Day
The emotion will last—stronger is always better.
No campaign can be built within a short period of time. But once you understand your (potential) customer better, everything starts to make sense.
The brands that win during the World Cup aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the most obvious sports connections. They’re the ones that understand their audience, plan strategically, and execute with authenticity.
Work With Us
If you’re preparing for World Cup 2026 and need strategic support for your social media campaign, we’d love to help.
We work with brands in Korea, Japan, and English-speaking markets, offering everything from campaign strategy and influencer partnerships to content creation and execution—all with native-level marketers who understand both global trends and local nuances.
The key to success? Starting early. To secure the right influencers and build a campaign that stands out, we recommend having a solid plan by January 2026 at the latest.
Ready to make your brand unforgettable? [Apply here]
